Truck tank loading apparatus



NOV. 30, 1937. w CHENlCEK 2,100,380

TRUCK TANK LOADING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 9, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR George 144' Chen/eel:

ATTORNEY Nov. 30, 1937. e. w. CHENICEK I 2,100,380

TRUCK TANK LOADING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 9, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

v INVENTOR George 14/. Chen/cek Fig 6 ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 3Q, 1937 @NHTE. STATES mtmtt P A T George W. Chenicek, Chicago, 111., assignor to Standard Oil Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Indiana Application December 9, 1935, Serial No. 53,465

4 Claims.

This invention relates to the conservation of vapors in connection with the loading of liquids, and particularly volatile liquids, such as gasoline, into tank trucks.

The general object of my invention is to provide means and methods for minimizing vapor losses, foaming difliculties and fire hazards in connection with the loading of liquids, particularly petroleum distillates, into tank trucks. Other and more detailed objects of my invention will become apparent as the description thereof proceeds.

It has always been customary to loadtank trucks with gasoline or other liquid by inserting contact with air. In fact the air was displaced from the truck tank directly through the entering liquid, resulting in practical saturation of the air with the vapors of the liquid and also resulting in the entrainment of considerable liquid in the air. In the case of volatile liquids such as gasoline this resulted in very serious vapor losses. It was realized by the prior art that some losses might possibly occur but it was believed that they were negligible.

In the case of relatively non-volatile liquids, such as kerosene and fuel oil, this universal prior art procedure resulted in serious foaming which often greatly delayed the filling operation. Furthermore, it resulted in serious fire and explosion hazards, particularly in the case of volatile liquids, due to the exposure of flammable materials. 'It also caused an important accident hazardsince a man had to stand on top of the. truck in order to carry on the filling operation and since this man had to bend over the tank opening in the direct course of a copious stream of vapors in order to check the level of the liquid in the tank.

I have found that the vapor losses incident to the customary method of filling tank trucks with 45 volatile liquids are extremely important and that these losses can be almost completely eliminated by a simple method which will be outlined below. At the same time I eliminate foaming troubles, minimize fire and explosion hazards, prevent accidents and greatly expedite the filling operation.

This method has proven itself in practice and is now attracting very wide attention. The invention is simple but has accomplished new and unexpected results of great importance. Thus for example, it has been found that when tank trucks working out of 13 different gasoline bulk plants were equipped in accordance with my invention, the gasoline losses at these bulk plants dropped from 6400 gallons per month to 1500 gallons per month. The months compared were identical periods during successive years and all other conditions having a bearing on vapor losses were approximately constant.

The nature of my invention will now be more fully described in connection with the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification and which illustrate certain preferred embodiments of my invention. In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation in section of a truck tank in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is an end elevation of a tank truck, having a type of tank different from that of Figure 1, being loaded in accordance with my invention;

Figure 3 is a detail in section showing an alternative method of welding the filler pipe to the truck tank in connection with my invention;

Figure 4 is a plan view of a portion of a tank truck illustrating an alternative form of my invention;

Figure 5 is a side elevation corresponding to Figure 4; and I Figure 6 is an end elevation corresponding to Figure 4.

Referring more particularly to Figure 1, it will be seen that an ordinary truck tank H, equipped with a hinged dome cover l2, through which filling has normally been accomplished in the past, is equipped with a filler pipe IS in accordance with my invention. This filler pipe projects through an opening in the top of the tank near to hinged dome cover l2 and terminates near the bottom of the inside of the tank. The filler pipe is welded to the top of tank I l to form a tight seal and is preferably additionally supported from splash partition M by means of U-bolt I5, wood block I6 and nuts II. The top of the filler pipe I3 is equipped with an adapter I8 usually larger in diameter than filler pipe l3. Adapter I8 is adapted to cooperate with a quick-coupling,

fractional-turn cap IS. The filler opening is normally closed by adapter l8 and cap l9 except during the loading operation. It will be understood, of course, that it is possible to eliminate adapter l8 and apply a cap directly to the top of filler pipe l3, if the latter is made of the required dimensions to cooperate with the coupling member on the filler line, which will be described hereinafter.

This structure permits the release or the gasoline at a point near the bottom of the truck tank. Filler pipe 63 preferably extends to within about one or two inches from the bottom of the inside of tank H, with the result that the bottom opening of filler pipe i3 is usually completely submerged, since tank ii is rarely completely emptied. I may provide a well or depression in the bottom of the tank so that the end of the filler tube may be submerged even when the tank is substantially empty; In any event, filler pipe I3 is submerged soon after the filling operation commences. The result is that there is no splashing, no foaming and practically no vapor loss during the filling operation. Furthermore, the fire hazard is markedly reduced.

These highly important advantages have, however, a concomitant disadvantage in the absence of good lighting in that the rising surface of the gasoline is extremely quiescent and therefore hard to see. The operator in charge of the filling operation often has great difiiculty in determining when tank H is filled and it sometimes happens that the tank is overflowed during the filling operation with resultant waste and fire hazard. In order to overcome this difficulty, I preferably provide some type of indicating mechanism to show when the level of the rising gasoline is approaching the top of the tank.

One such device, shown in Figure 1, consists of a guide 20 in which a float 2i operates. This float actuates a signal 22, which may for example be a red sphere, which is connected with float 28 by rod 23, with the result that when the rising liquid reaches float 2! the float is lifted and the signal is likewise lifted so that the operator is warned of the impending completion of the filling operation.

Figure 2 shows a tank truck equipped with tank ll alongside a loading platform 24. Tank H corresponds to the tank in Figure 1 except that in this case the tank is provided with a manhole 25 having a bolted cover 26 which carries a hinged cover l2. Filler pipe I3, instead of being welded directly to the top of the tank as in Figure 1, is welded to and projects through bolted manhole cover 26 alongside of hinged cover I2.

When the tank is to be filled, cap 19 is removed, as shown in Figure 2, but is restrained by chain 21 which is attached to cap l9 and also to the filler pipe, tank or manhole.

A fluid-tight connection is made to adapter l8 or directly to the top of filler pipe l3 by means of coupling 28 of the quick attachment type. This coupling is carried by an elbow 29, attached tola flexible hose 30, attached in turn to an elbow 3| and a line 32 leading from a storage tank or pump. Line 32 carries a gate valve 33 used to shut off the line more or less permanently, a quick opening valve 34 used for rapidity of'manipulation during the filling operation, and a vacuum breaker or petcock 35.

It will thus be seen that the filling operation is accomplished by driving the tank truck alongside loading platform 24, removing cap l9, attaching coupling 28, and opening valves 33 and 34. At the end of the filling operation (when the tank is within about two gallons of. being completely full) valve 34 is closed, vacuum breaker 35' is opened momentarily to drain the system below valve 34, the hose is lifted to complete the draining operation, coupling 28 is detached and cap I9 is replaced.

Metal parts 29 and ti are preferably connected by a loose metallic chain within hose 3!) which provides an excellent ground and prevents the accumulation of static charges in the liquid in the hose and tank.

If tank l l is not equipped with splash partition 14, it is desirable to use more precautions in welding filler pipe l3 to the top of the tank or to the manhole cover. The method of doing this is shown in Figure 3 in which steel flanges 36 are attached to the top of tank H and to filler pipe l3 by means of welds 37. Bracing to a splash partition is not absolutely necessary even if a splash partition is present but it is preferable. Since pipe l3 enters from the top of the tank there would be no liquid loss and no consequent hazard in the event that it was accidentally broken ofi. I

Figures 4, 5 and 6 show an alternative method of accomplishing the advantages outlined above. These figures show a portion of a tank truck equipped with the normal drawofi lines 38 leading from the various tanks or compartments ii to the rear of the truck where they terminate in valves 39 by means of which the contents of the truck are withdrawn. These filling lines are equipped with Ts 48 to which are attached filler pipes l3 projecting above the top of the truck and terminating in adapters I8 and .caps lib-as previously described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Filler pipes l3, as shown, pass upward between the rearmost tank H and the bucket compartment M. Attachment can be made to these filler pipes in the manner discussed in connection with Figure 2. The liquid entering that one of tanks H which corresponds to the particular filler pipe used is released at or near the bottom of the tank, as'shown.

Alternatively, filler pipes leading to the bottoms of the various tanks can be grouped together alongside the tank or in any convenient location. The important considerations are that the filler pipe should project above the top of the tank and that the liquid should enter the tank at (or near) the bottom of the tank.

These various arrangements, and in fact the arrangement of Figures land 2, have an important advantage in connection with the multiple tank type of truck in that the various tanks or compartments can all be filled with a single simple filling line while the truck is in a single position and without making it necessary for the operator to climb on top of the truck.

Although I have de'scribed my invention in connection with certain specific embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that I am not limited thereby but only to'the subject matter of the appended claims which should be construed as broadly as the prior art will permit.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for loading a tank truck comprising a truck tank carried by said tank truck, a filler pipe for said tank permanently installed as a part of said tank truck, said filler pipe terminating at its upper end above the normal liquid level in said tank and terminating at its lower end within said tank near the bottom of said tank, attachment means carried by the upper end of said filler pipe, and a filler line, said filler line comprising a permanently installed delivery line leading to a storage tank, a valve in said delivery line, a vacuum breaker in said delivery line on the delivery side of said valve above the normal liquid level in said tank, a flexible ho'se connected to said delivery line at one end, and a quickattachment coupling carried by the free end of said flexible hose adapted to cooperate with said attachment means to form a liquid-tight joint therewith. 2. Apparatus for loading a' tank truck comprising a truck tank carried by said tank truck, a filler pipe for said tank permanently installed as a part of said tank truck, said filler pipe terminating at its upper end above the normal liquid level in said tank and terminating at its lower end within said tank near the bottom of said tank, attachment means carried by the upper end of said filler pipe, and a filler line, said filler line comprising a permanently installed delivery line leading to a storage tank, a valve in said delivery line for more or less permanently shutting off said delivery line, an additional quickacting valve in said delivery line for accurate control of deliveries to said tank, a vacuum breaker in said delivery line on the delivery side of said last-mentioned valve above the normal liquid level in said tank, a flexible hose connected to said delivery line at one end, and a quick attach- I ment coupling carried by the free end of said flexible hose adapted to cooperate with said attachment means to form a liquid-tight joint therewith.

3. Apparatus for loading 'a tank truck having a plurality of truck tanks, said apparatus comprising permanently installed filler pipes, one for each of said tanks, said filler pipes terminating at their upper ends above the normal liquid level in said tanks and terminating at their lower ends within said tanks near the bottoms of said tanks, connection means carried by the upper ends of said filler pipes, and a filler line, said filler line comprising a permanently installed delivery line leading to a storage tank, a valve in said delivery line, a vacuum breaker in said delivery line on the delivery side of said valve and above the normal liquid level in said tanks, a flexible hose connected to said delivery line at one end, and connection means carried by the free end of said flexible hose adapted to cooperate with said firstmentioned connection means to form a liquidtight joint therewith.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3 in which the upper ends of said filler pipes are positioned near each other.

GEORGE W. CHENICEK. 

